8/1/2019
Stateline beats the rain!
Busti, NY: It was “Fan Appreciation Night” at Stateline with only $5 admission for all adults and fun and game for the younger fans behind the grandstands prior to race time. A good time was had by all, especially the teams in Victory Lane. Those teams included Willie Van Guilder, who was victorious in the first feature of the evening, the Challenger event that was rained out last Saturday. The ProMods had Dennis Lunger winning his fourth feature in the class, then won the Outlaw E-Mod feature for the third time this season. The Dave Warren Auto Group Super Late Models had David Scott in the Winner’s Circle after using the extreme high groove to take over the lead at only three laps into the race. Former champion Jason Genco went to Victory Lane for the first time this season at Stateline after winning the Close Racing Supply RUSH Late Model feature. John Boardman captured the Penn-Ohio Pro Stock feature just as rain started falling. The rain stopped in time to get the Challenger night-capper run, with John Zeleznik the first to complete the mandated distance.
Adam Ashcroft and Brian Mohawk brought the twelve-car starting field to green with Ashcroft, the winner June 29, leading from the green. Chad Carlson got by Mohawk for second on lap two and began the task of catching the leader. That task was aided by a spin in turn two by Mike Johnstone, putting Carlson right next to Ashcroft for the restart. On the green third-starting Dennis Lunger, already a two-time winner, charged into second and was next to Ashcroft for the lead at lap five with Carlson, Mohawk, and C J Irons filling out the top five. Yellow flew at lap seven for sixth-running Steve Dixon, who spun but kept moving, although falling back to eighth for the restart with Ashcroft, Lunger, Carlson, Scott Gurdak, and Mohawk not the top five. At the halfway point it was Carlson up to second and Jarrod Silvis moving into the top five when caution again flew, this time for Chris Paar, spun in turn four. Mohawk spun on the restart in turn two, collecting Irons in the process. At lap eleven a battle for second developed between Carlson and Ashcroft the ran side by side through lap twelve when Ashcroft re-established himself in second. Debris in turn four was the next caution at lap thirteen. With two to go Silvis got sideways and jumped the rim into the infield but never slowed and didn’t lose a position. Had he stopped he would have gone to the back for the next green. Coming to the finish Carlson spun in turn four but also kept his foot in the throttle and only slipped back to fourth. When checkers flew it was Lunger, Ashcroft, Gurdak, Carlson, and Silvis.
Next up were the Close Racing Supply RUSH Late Models. Ward Schell and Paul Norman brought the field to Spanky Hall’s green flag but Josh John spun in turn one, forcing a complete restart. Schell led the race to turn two but both Norman and Jason Genco got by on the back stretch dropping him to third at the end of lap one with defending champion Darrell Bossard fourth and Scott Gurdak fifth. Coming off turn two on lap two it was four abreast for the lead with Genco emerging first over Norman after running side by side at the line at lap three. At five laps Bossard took second from Norman. Max Blair got to fifth, next to Schell, at lap six. Steve Houser spun in turn four at six lap the Josh Beckstrom spun in with Houser getting involved. At the halfway point it was Genco leading Gurdak, Bossard, Blair, and Schell. At fifteen laps a backmarker driven by Hunter Proctor bunched up the leaders with Gurdak, Schell, Austin Hauser, and Blair taking evasive action and Blair scraping the back stretch wall. In the melee Hauser lost a piece of his nosepiece, slowing the field under yellow for cleanup. After green Blair came to third at lap seventeen. The finish was Genco, his first of the year, Gurdak, Blair, Bossard, and Bruce Hordusky.
The Outlaw E-Mods were led to green by Ron Seeley and Tim Peterson. Peterson led to turn one but got sideways in turn two, collecting Greg Johnson, Tim Rockwell, Dave Lamphere, Zach Johnson, and Mike Eschrich. Dennis Lunger was deemed to have “jumped” the restart and was penalized one spot for the restart. Seeley and third-starting Butch Southwell ran side by side through turn four when Southwell edged ahead to lead lap one. July 13 winner Steve Rex was third with Dennis Lunger fourth and Troy Johnson fifth.Zach Johnson spun in turn two on lap two with Southwell now leading Rex, Seeley, Lunger, and Johnson. Lunger got to third then Rex and Southwell spun in turn two with Al Brewer also involved. Southwell need towed to the pit, his night done. Coming to green, Mark Thrasher, Greg Johnson, and Brodie Hill spun on the main straight. The top five at this restart were Rex, Lunger, Seeley, Johnson, and Dan Sasso. Sasso was fourth at lap five with Seeley fourth at lap six. Then at lap seven three-time winner Cale Crocker got into the mix up to fourth while Rex and Lunger were side by side for the lead. Lunger had the spot all to himself at eight complete when yellow again flew for Zach Johnson. Since it was His third charged caution, he was sent pitside. At nine laps the order was Lunger, Rex, Johnson, Crocker, and Seeley when Peterson and Deven Dudenhoeffer spun in turn two, ending the race as the time limit was reached.
June 8 winner Ryan Scott and Nate Hill brought the Dave Warren Auto Group Super Late Models to green with Scott leading from the start but two-time champion David Scott was using the extreme high line, dusting the walls, to maintain momentum and sweep into the lead at three complete. At five laps David Scott had a half straight lead. Caution flew for Easton Hedman and Cody Egner, spun in turn two. After restarting it was three-wide coming off two with Ryan Scott, Dutch Davies, and David Scott all scrambling for the front spot. David Scott led lap six over Ryan Scott and Davies with twelfth-starting Max Blair, the points leader, fourth at lap seven. Egner spun again at seven complete, then pitted during the caution, done for the night. After green Davies came to second at lap ten and 2009 champion Chad Valone was fifth. Blair and Davies were side by side at lap fourteen while Scott now had a quarter lap lead. Both David Scott and Blair were using the high groove until lap three laps from the end when Blair changed his line to the extreme low groove but not even that could help him catch the flying Scott, who was on his way to the win. Blair settled for second over Davies, Valone, and Ryan Scott. During the Victory Lane interview rain began falling but eased enough for racing to continue.
Former champions Dave Shagla and John Boardman led to Penn-Ohio Pro Stocks to green with Shagla leading the way at one lap over Boardman, Douglas Eck, Jason Covey, and Joe Stajnragh. At lap six Boardman took over at the front with Covey up to third. With two to go Victor Redeye wound up in the turn one wall after contact from Shane Applebee, who was sent to the pits and scored last on the lead lap. At the checkers as rain again falling, it was Boardman, Shagla, Covey, last week’s winner Jason Black, and Stajnragh.
The rain quit in time for the Challenger feature which saw John Mease and Points leader Rick Feely on the front row. Feely led lap one then on lap two it was three wide for the lead coming out of turn two with sixth-starting Willie Van Guilder, Mease, and Feely racing hard. Van Guilder was the leader at lap three with Feely second, Mease third, John Zeleznik fourth, and ninth-starting Holden Heineman fifth. Zeleznik was second at eight complete then dove low in turn one on the final lap to take over the lead by turn three and go on for the win. Van Guilder wound up second with Feely third, Mease fourth, and Heineman fifth.
Article Credit: Jay Pees
